Part 13 (1/2)
Probably the result of this presentation will be astonis.h.i.+ng to many.
With the exception of Europe, where, on an average, there are 1,024 women to every 1,000 men, the reverse is the case everywhere else. If it is further considered that in the foreign divisions of the earth, and even there where actual enumeration was had, information upon the female s.e.x is particularly defective--a fact that must be presumed with regard to all the countries of Mohammedan population, where the figures for the female population are probably below the reality--it stands pat that, apart from a few European nations, the female s.e.x nowhere tangibly exceeds the male. It is otherwise in Europe, the country that interests us most. Here, with the exception of Italy and the southeast territories of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Servia, Bulgaria, Roumania and Greece, the female population is everywhere more strongly represented than the male.
Of the large European countries, the disproportion is slightest in France--1,002 females to every 1,000 males; next in order is Russia, with 1,009 females to every 1,000 males. On the other hand, Portugal, Norway and Poland, with 1,076 females to every 1,000 males, present the strongest disproportion. Next to these stands Great Britain,--1,060 females to every 1,000 males. Germany and Austria lie in the middle: they have, respectively, 1,039 and 1,047 females to every 1,000 males.
In the German Empire, the excess of the female over the male population, according to the census of December 1, 1890, was 957,400, against 988,376, according to the census of December 1, 1885. A princ.i.p.al cause of this disproportion is emigration, inasmuch as by far more men emigrate than women. This is clearly brought out by the opposite pole of Germany, the North American Union, which has about as large a deficit in women as Germany has a surplus. The United States is the princ.i.p.al country for European emigration, and this is mainly made up of males. A second cause is the larger number of accidents to men than to women in agriculture, the trades, the industries and transportation. Furthermore, there are more males than females temporarily abroad,--merchants, seamen, marines, etc. All this transpires clearly from the figures on the conjugal status. In 1890 there were 8,372,486 married men to 8,398,607 married women in Germany, i. e., 26,121 more of the latter.
Another phenomenon, that statistics establish and that weigh heavily in the scales, is that, on an average, women reach a higher age than men: at the more advanced ages there are more women than men. According to the census of 1890 the relation of ages among the two s.e.xes were these:
Excess Excess of Males. Females. of Males. Females.
Below ten years 5,993,681 5,966,226 27,455 ...
10 to 20 years 5,104,751 5,110,093 ... 5,342 20 to 30 years 3,947,324 4,055,321 ... 107,997 30 to 40 years 3,090,174 3,216,704 ... 126,530 40 to 50 years 2,471,617 2,659,609 ... 187,992 50 to 60 years 1,826,951 2,041,377 ... 214,426 60 to 70 years 1,177,142 1,391,227 ... 214,085 70 and up 619,192 757,081 ... 137,889 --------- --------- ------ ------- 24,230,832 25,197,638 27,455 994,261
This table shows that, up to the tenth year, the number of boys exceeds that of girls, due merely to the disproportion in births. Everywhere, there are more boys born than girls. In the German Empire, for instance,[94] there were born:--
In the year 1872 to 100 girls 106.2 boys In the year 1878 to 100 girls 105.9 boys In the year 1884 to 100 girls 106.2 boys In the year 1888 to 100 girls 106.0 boys In the year 1891 to 100 girls 106.2 boys
But the male s.e.x dies earlier than the female, and from early childhood more boys die than girls. Accordingly, the table shows that, between the ages of 10 to 20 the female s.e.x exceeds the male.
To each 100 females, there died, males:--[95]
In 1872 107.0 In 1884 109.2 In 1878 110.5 In 1888 107.9 In 1891 107.5
The table shows, furthermore, that at the matrimonial age, proper, between the ages of 20 and 50, the female s.e.x exceeds the male by 422,519, and that at the age from 50 to 70 and above, it exceeds the male by 566,400. A very strong disproportion between the s.e.xes appears, furthermore, among the widowed.
According to the census of 1890, there were:--
Widowers 774,967 Widows 2,154,870 --------- Excess of widows over widowers 1,382,903
Of these widowed people, according to age, there were:--
Age. Males. Females.
40-60 222,286 842,920 60 and over 506,319 1,158,712
The number of divorced persons was, in 1890: Males, 25,271; females, 49,601. According to age, they were distributed:--
Age. Males. Females.
40-60 13,825 24,842 60 and over 4,917 7,244
These figures tell us that _widows and divorced women are excluded from remarriage_, and at the fittest age for matrimony, at that; there being of the age of 15-40, 46,362 widowers and 156,235 widows, 6,519 divorced men and 17,515 divorced women. These figures furnish further proof of the injury that divorce entails to married women.
In 1890, there were unmarried:--[96]
Age. Males. Females.
15-40 5,845,933 5,191,453 40-60 375,881 503,406 60 and over 130,154 230,966